After the forming of the Iron Horde in the alternate timeline that Garrosh Hellscream caused, Rulkan was present with her mate when they were visited Garrosh and Grommash Hellscream. She was completely shocked when Hellscream made Ner'zhul an offer: to join the Iron Horde or die. Ner'zhul was forced to accept Hellscream's offer and was tasked to place a worthy offer for the Iron Horde's campaign. Having access to no material of war, Ner'zhul chose to defile his ancestors by calling on the forbidden Void to save his people. While Rulkan understood his reasoning, she was not willing to commit the same act and so she left to Exile's Rise along with others who agreed with her and they became known as the Shadowmoon Exiles.

While they remained mostly at peace and refused to involved with the Iron Horde's rule over Draenor, Rulkan was soond by her old friend Prophet. Allowing an audience with the liaison, Rulkan took Velen's new friend in a cave underneath their settlement and told the hero of all that occurred. She then gave a Fragment of Anguish to help Velen and his allies enter Shadowmoon Fortress but not before giving a proposition to the commander. While the Frostwolf and Laughing Skull clan allied with the Horde, Rulkan and the Shadowmoon Exiles aided the Alliance to eliminate the Iron Horde. After Ner'zhul's death, Rulkan took the mantle as Chieftain of the Shadowmoon clan after the clan abandoned its service from the Iron Horde.